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Orchids are a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift

My valentine surprised me with an orchid this morning. And it was my favorite orchid, a pure-white phalaenopsis, a.k.a moth orchid. An orchid is a wonderful gifts for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Orchids will deliver flowers to you for literally months if they still have unopened buds when you purchase them and they are actually very easy to care for.

Water your orchid as often as you like with warm water, but do not allow it to sit in standing water.

Orchids will thrive in medium to bright, indirect light. No direct light. Temperatures anywhere between 65 to 78 degrees will keep them happy. Watering can take a little plant intuition. You can water your orchid as much as you like, just do not let it set in standing water. A daily rinse in the sink is fine. If you are going to err on any side, err on the dry side. There are orchids being sold right now that call for an ice cube to be placed in the pot and allowed to melt. I would say “why not” as long as the cube does not touch any part of the plant. Regardless of your watering, be sure the water is room temperature to warm.

An orchid with several buds will give you flowers for months.

Enjoy your orchid’s amazing blossoms. Coaxing an orchid to re-bloom is tricky stuff. If you choose to send your spent plant to the compost bin and allow it to transition to it’s next life, feel free. If you do want to attempt a re-bloom, place your orchid plant in a north window during the winter for a month to a month and a half or until you see a new stem begin to emerge. The temp must be at 60 degrees for a new flower stem to form. Once the stem begins, return to a normal temp for growing. And pray a lot.